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Saturday, 6 September 2008

Nutella Swiss Roll

It was a rare occasion that I was blessed with so much free time that I felt asleep on a weekday afternoon. I guess I was not feeling well (yes, I'm trying to make myself feel less guilty) or it was just pure laziness that I didn't wake up until 2 hours later! As a result, I had to abandon my earlier plan to bake a loaf of bread as there wasn't much time left before I had to start preparing dinner.

After flipping through my stack of recipes, I thought I should make a Swiss roll. In the past, I always relied on a sponge cake recipe to make a Swiss roll. It was the first time I was going to follow a proper Swiss roll recipe. I didn't bother to use any whipping cream for the filling, as first of all, I was running out of time and secondly I am doubtful whether I'll be able to roll the cake without cracking it . Hence, to make things easy, I decided to use nutella spread to fill the roll.

The making of the sponge cake layer was rather straight forward, as there were only 5 ingredients used. There was little washing up as well, since everything was done with a mixing bowl. I was able to get the cake out from the oven in no time. While the cake was cooling on the rack, I got on with the tedious chore of cooking dinner :(

As with all my past attempts with Swiss rolls, I felt a little nervous when it was time to fill and roll the cake. I almost let off a whistle when the cake didn't crack upon rolling!

I am not sure it was just pure luck, or was it the technique outline in this recipe that made the rolling so easy. I guess I would have to try this again to verify. Some Swiss roll recipes that I have come across would recommend that the cake be rolled up while it is still warm. The cake would then be unrolled upon cooling, filled and re-rolled again. Whereas for this recipe, the cake is left to cool off before filling and rolling. According to the recipe, once the cake is out of the oven, it has to be removed from the tray and placed in a big plastic bag to cool off. This way, the cake will stay soft and moist for easy rolling. Since I do not have a large enough plastic bag, I left the cake in the baking tray and placed the tray on a cooling rack. To retain the moisture, I covered the top with another Swiss roll tray. Upon cooling, I was surprised that the sponge layer was not soggy or damp. I moved on to remove the parchment paper and turned the sponge layer onto a clean sheet of parchment paper. It was a little tricky trying to spread the nutella as it was rather thick, I had to be extra gentle to avoid scraping the crumbs as I worked along.

Besides retaining moisture when the sponge layer is cooling off, I think it is also important not to over bake the cake, otherwise it would be too dry and would crack easily. As usual, my unreliable oven took a little longer than the recommended time to get the sponge layer baked, and I had to turn the tray closer to the end of the baking time to ensure even browning.

In order to make a nice clean roll, another seemingly minor point to watch out for, would be the kind of paper used for rolling. I remembered using those greaseproof papers (or tracing papers which I used to call them when I was young!) when I first attempted to make a Swiss roll. The cake got stuck to the paper, as a result, the 'skin' got peeled off upon rolling/unrolling. I also used to wonder why my cookies would stick to this type of greaseproof paper upon baking. Until much later, I discovered those are not the right type of paper for baking. I have since switched to using proper parchment paper or baking paper which has got a layer of wax making them greaseproof and non-stick as well.

I was very satisfied with how well the sponge layer turned out, it was soft and moist, and what can I say about nutella? You will never go wrong with it ;)

With an electric mixer, whisk eggs and sugar on HIGH speed for about 5 to 7 mins, until the batter double in volume and is ribbon-like (the batter should leave a ribbon-like texture when the beater is lifted up). Turn to LOW speed and whisk for another 1 to 2 mins. Whisking at low speed helps to stabilise the air bubbles in the batter.

Add sifted cake flour into the batter in 3 separate addition. With each addition, use a spatula, gently fold in the flour until well blended. Take care not to deflate the batter.

Add the melted butter and vanilla extract, fold with spatula until well blended.

Pour the batter into the tray. Spread and smooth out the batter evenly. Bake for 10~15 mins*, until the surface turns golden browned or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Remove tray from oven. Remove sponge layer from tray (with parchment paper still in tack), place it in a plastic bag**. Tie the plastic bag and leave it to cool. (Instead of using a plastic bag, I cover the sponge layer with another Swiss roll tray.)

Upon cooling, remove the parchment paper, and turn the sponge layer with the 'skin' side down on a sheet of clean parchment paper. Spread with nutella (or any filling as desired) and roll up the sponge layer by lifting it up with the parchment paper. Place the rolled cake seam side down.

NOTE:
*Do not over bake the sponge layer, otherwise it will turn dry and may crack upon rolling.
** The reason for doing so is to keep the sponge layer moist for easy rolling.

Hi Esther, yes, it is certainly not easy to roll the cake. I think I am really lucky :)Thanks for the info, I have got Mickey, Pooh and Piglet cutters, I will go look for the cinamoroll one. Me very aunty, so far I have not bought any goods online ;p

Thanks Skinnymum :D

Hi Yuri, I think you should be able to get a swiss roll pan easily. My oven is also very small, it can only fit in a 9" by 12" pan.

Hi Precious Moments, my baking tray is a 'hand-me-down', it's so old that I think even the museum wouldnt want it! I guess it was bought in the early 80s?! The cook book uses a 27cm x 27cm pan, which is about 11" by 11". So you may want to get a tray which is roughly around that size. You can judge by making sure that the surface area of the pan is about 121 sq inches. Hope this helps :)

Hi HHB, just curious and wondering, if pan size matters in baking a successful cake, then if my oven can only fit in 9" by 9", means I have to reduce the recipe. How shd I go about calculating how much to reduce? Just half the recipe for convenience?

Hi Sherlyn, pan size does matters! It will affect the baking time, and the height/thickeness of the finished cake. You will have to adjust the baking time if u are using a different pan size. You may either end up under-bake or over-bake the cake. It's best to follow what is recommended. I would not sugges that you half the recipe exactly...it works for some recipes, but may not yield good results for others. You can take a look at this site (http://www.baking911.com/pantry/substitutes_pansizes.htm#Baking%20Pan%20Substitutions)for baking pan substitutions.

Unless you store the eggs in the fridge, you don't need to bring it to room temperature. Eggs are easier to whip when it is at room temperature. Hope this helps.

I tried making a swiss roll using a recipe from aunty yochana's blog but it cracked when i tried to roll it =(

Was thinking of maybe trying out your recipe but i jus want to make sure if it was my rolling technique or the recipe's problem.

Wanna find out from you how do you actually make such perfect rolls without cracking it? Also, wat sure the texture of the cake should be? I don't think my cake was dry cos when i pressed it lightly it was quite soft and springy with some squishy sound. But one thing, I had some difficulty folding in the flour as it was form lumps which were difficult to incorporate nicely into the egg+sugar mixture.

When i tried rolling the cake, it felt quite inflexible and i was really afraid that if i had use any more force it would crack. but i couldnt get it to "roll" so i decided to use a lil more force and sigh..it gave way. Just wanna ask if the cake feels inflexible or? pretty upset cos i tried twice and failed on both attmepts.

Hi You Fei, I think I consider myself very lucky when it comes to making swiss roll. So far I have made about 5 ~ 6 swiss rolls, only once or twice I got cracks on the swiss roll, but it didn't really give way, just some cracks on the surface. I think the cracks were partly due to over baking as my oven is not very reliable!As for this nutella version, it was my first attempt using this recipe. I followed the method as outlined in the recipe and I make it a point to stand in front of the oven...once the sponge layer starts to brown all over, I remove it from the oven to prevent it from over baking. Then, I followed the method to cover the sponge layer immediately to retain the mositure. Upon cooling it, I had no problem with rolling. I can't recall whether the texture is surpose to be 'flexible', but I could roll it without much effort, except for the initial first fold. I didn't use any tools at all, just lay the sponge layer on a parchment paper, and with the help of the paper, I lift up the sponge and start rolling (very much like rolling up a sushi maki). The other possible cause could be the thickness of the sponge, do try to follow the recommended tray size, maybe your sponge layer was too thick??As for flour trapped in the batter, I have not encountered this problem before. What you can do is, when the batter almost reach the ribbon-like stage, you can lower the speed of your mixer, this helps to stablise the air bubbles, and the bigger ones should disappear. The other thing is, do remember to sieve your flour. I always sieve it three times whenever I make a sponge cake.I hope you wont be put off by your failed attempts, I am sure with a few more practice you will be able to get it right. Let me know if you have problem understanding what I've written as I am really very loh soh! Good Luck!

I am only too happy that you gave such detailed replies. and nope! you're not lor soh =D

Hmm, it seems like I've followed your above recommendations. It's funny cos I've baked sponge cakes before this and always had no problem folding in the flour. So it was abit disheartening and puzzling to see why my flour jus couldn't get incorporated =X Anyway, I tried out this recipe yesterday but it still cracked =X Although, this time it was much much much better. at least it retained a rolled shape (the other two times i had to eat it as layered cakes! haha. ) the cracks were unsightly of course, but the taste was good! though i might consider cutting down the sugar =)

Anyway, I used a 9"x12" tray and baked at 180C for about 10-11 min. it didn't brown entirely (just browned v v lightly) but since the toothpick inserted came out clean, I jus took it out from the oven.

I didn't have another swiss roll tray of the same size so i jus covered it in aluminium foil.

So, this time i put more filling (hoping i wont have to bend it so much) and started rolling. it was pretty ok in the beginning and for the fear it'd crack if i rolled too tightly, i roll it faster and without much force. the roll ended up quite "loose" so i jus took a peek to see how the rolled sponge look like and to my horror i saw a crack! not too sure if it was because of the rolling, or because i released the pressure to look at the roll and it cracked upon trying to resume the unrolled position (pardon this sentence, hope you'd understand what i'm saying)

in any case, I just rolled it up and rerigerated it. So when i came back online to check on more tips, I saw that video link you post from meji and took a look. I realised i probably should have tightened the roll and it probably wouldn't have cracked.

Oh wells, I'll try again definitely =) btw, i used an oven thermometer, so the temp shld be pretty accurate =)

Hi You Fei, no worries.I left the sponge layer in the tray and cover it with another tray. According to the recipe, you should remove the sponge layer from the tray but with the parchment paper still in tack and place it in a plastic bag.

I consider myself new in the area of baking, as such, I doubt I am capable of posting step-by-step photos...since I have not attended any baking course or workshop, I am really not sure whether I am doing the correct thing!!! I don't want to be seem as "班门弄斧", hope you understand my situation. Furthermore, I do not have the necessary equipement like a tripod, it is difficult to take photo while I am mixing the batter, and I can't count on my kids to take video or photos for me. I hope you understand. There are many demo videos available online, you can refer to them to get an idea.

I've also tried sourcing for videos but i guess nothing beats trying again and again. =D Just wish to let you know that I really appreciate how you go all out to answer everyone's queries to the best of your ability! =DD and you're doing a great job and i cant thank you enough =)

As you've mentioned, you said you left the cake to cool in the tray while covering it with another tray, wouldn't the cake continue to "cook"?

Anyway, don't worry about not bing able to post step by step pics and all =p thanks for your the help! (if you do rmb i have tons of questions regarding breadmaking too and it was your comments and help that i finally got an idea of how things shld be!)

Hi You Fei, thanks for being so understanding :) I didn't have to worry about the sponge layer continue to cook in the tray, as I use an aluminum/tin tray...it conducts heat very fast, once it is out of the oven, it cools off very quickly.

I couldn't resist but giving your recipe another try and this time....i made it!! =DD I followed what you did and stood vigilantly in front of the oven. (However, it still did not brown as nicely as yours) I was so afraid that it'd overbake, to as soon as it looks QUITE brown, I took it out (the toothpick inserted was clean) that took around 6-7 min in a 180C oven. I might consider baking longer next time to see if there was any difference.

I tried to roll like yours, but the skin started peeling off while i handled it while trying to place it properly on the parchment to roll. So I rolled it with the brown side inside instead.

The cake was really soft and easy to handle. I even re-rolled it! althought the inner most portion broke off, but its hidden anyway. and..it did not crack! *happy*

My sister and bro loved it and they all said its very yummy. However, one of my sisters did mention it was abit too airy. hmmm *scratch* head haha oh well, personal preference i guess.

You Fei, Congrats on your sucessful attempt!!! very happy for you :)My oven has got hot spots, certain part will start to brown first, so I have to turn the tray around to make sure the surface is evenly brown. I can't tell you the timing, as I usually have to estimate. You can try it next time. As for the air bubbles, after you spread the batter onto the baking tray, u can tap the tray on your work surface to release the trapped air bubbles. What kind of baking paper are you using? If you are using greaseproof paper, the 'skin' will stick onto the paper when you roll it. I use parchment paper which is non-stick. It does make a difference.

Without your detailed description and your encouragement, I won't be able to succeed so quickly too. =)

You mentioned you use the same brand, but I realised it is a little short to tighten it at the sides. i.e. make it like a BIG sweet, like twisting it at the sides. Do you encounter such problems? or are they selling bigger size ones that I don't know of?

Hi You Fei, I got the chiffon pan from Phoon Huat.As for the parchment paper, the size is just right for me. I simply roll the sponge layer and then transfer it onto a plate and discard the paper. I didn't bother to roll and tighten it with the paper or to tighten the side to form a big candy :)

Hi You Fei, if I don't use whipping cream as filling, I usually leave the cake in room temperature and it will not tuen dry. Since this is a sponge cake, it is normal to turn dry if left in the fridge. You can brush the sponge layer with syrup (sugar and water mixture) to keep it moist (just like a layered cake). Hope this helps :)

Hi, HHB,I've started to learn baking (self-taught) about 2 weeks ago when I suddenly feel like baking "Black Forest Cake" for my eldest son's birthday. Lucky for me, I've been quite successful. So, I became ambitious and wanted to bake a christmas log cake for this Christmas gathering at my Mom's place. Today, I tried to bake a swiss roll but failed twice. Yes, I used the greaseproof paper and like you said, the cake stuck like mad. I was wondering if I could use aluminium foil to lay the swiss roll pan (mine was 11 by 14 inch).

Hi fulltimehomemaker, I don't quite understand why is there a need to line the pan with alum foil? Are you saying to replace it with baking paper. If that's the case, I don't think it is advisable. I have only used alum foil for baking brownies. I think it is better to get a roll of parchment paper, besides using it to line your tray, you will also need it to roll the swiss roll. Furthermore, I bet you will very soon get addicted to baking, so you will gonna use quite a fair bit of parchment paper ;)Do drop me a note when you set up your blog!

Wow, thks for the speed reply. What I mean is to line the pan with aluminium foil instead of parchment paper. Reason I ask is because I saw in another recipe that allows lining with either parchment paper or aluminium foil. Anyway, I've managed to buy the parchment paper and bake a chocolate swiss roll for the 3rd time today. This time, it didn't stick but it crack like mad when I roll it up. It not only became a 3-layer cake but the texture of the cake is hard. Also, the sponge looks thin (I can only find a 33 by 23 cm tray). Don't know why it didn't rise (I use self-raising flour). I will try again tomorrow. Will let you know if it's successful or not. Will also let you know if my blog is up but I think it will not be in the near future as I still do not have many good recipes. Have a nice weekend!

Finally! I've done it. I managed to roll up my swiss roll without breaking. The 'skin' was a nice light brown and smooth and the cake was soft and fluffy. This time, I whisk the egg yolks and whites separately. However, I made one mistake by spreading too much chocolate ganache onto the roll which when the roll was cut, the ganache oozes out and made the cut roll looked messy. Will definitely try many more times to perfect the skill.

I just stumbled upon your blog and like the way you write and your photos are beautiful! I just tried your Nutella Swiss Roll recipe and it didn't crack! :) Everything went on well. BTW, i linked your blog in my blog post and i hope it is ok with you! Thanks!

I tried this recipe and it is really delicious! However, as I was using my mom's microwave/convec oven, it didn't turn out all that well. The cake was a bit sticky and also it went flat very soon the moment I added the flour and butter. I also used vanilla essence instead of extract. I'm not sure what I did wrong. =( I hope I can get some tips from you.

1. May I know which brand of oven do you use?2. Should I use the top/bottom or both heating coils?3. Should I use the convection function? (I had to turn mine 4 times in the oven to keep it from burning the sides)4. Can I use the same amount of vanilla essence to substitute for the extract?5. How can I prevent my butter and egg mixture from flattening during the folding stage?

Sorry for the many questions but I can't find the answers from the web. =(

1. I use Tefal's electric tabletop oven 20L only. It is not a good oven as the temperature will drop by 20degC after I put in the cake!

2. My oven has got only one heating coil at the top. But I guess you should use both top and bottom for even heating???

3. Sorry I am not sure about this convection function. You will have to try/test out your oven to get a feel of how it works. By opening the oven too many times during baking will cause the temperature to drop, as such it will also affect the outcome of your bake.

4. You can use vanilla essence(same amount). However I will like to recommend that you use vanilla extract, there is a great difference. Are you a local? If yes, you can get this Pure Vanilla Extract by this brand "Virginia Dare: from Cold storage outlets, about $5-6 a bottle. See here for a photo:(http://www.pennmac.com/items/2695)It is quite good for it's affordable price.

5. You need to fold in the flour with a spatula. First make sure you sieve the flour about 2-3 times before your use it. When ready to add, sieve it over onto the batter, in 3 separate additions. Fold lightly and quickly. You can refer to my video on 'Making a Roll Cake' (under Links to My Video), although it is not very well taken. The other video demo link is available under my post on "Santa Claus Cake", but it is in Jap, however, it is quite self-explanation. You can do a search on Youtube, and I am sure you can get many demo clips on how to go about making a swiss roll or a sponge cake.

HI! can i ask - what size eggs do you use??? i always have a problem with my swiss rolls they turn out very dry.. i usually use eggs which are 55g with shells. Wondering if its dry because the eggs too small so there is too much flour. thanks!

Hi, I am going to try the swiss roll tonight..got a some queries here: add in the melted butter- do i need to melt it over low heat? notice there isn't any baking powder used in this receipe..is there a miss out? never bake swiss roll before so here another stupid question will the cake rise slightly?Regards,emily

Hi Emily, yes, melt the butter over low heat to prevent it from burning. No baking powder is used as this is actually a sponge cake. It depends on the beating the eggs and the sugar to create the volume. Do make sure you beat till the batter becomes double/triple in volume, thick and leaves a trail when u lift up the whisk, and fold in the flour carefully.

Hi HHB, I tried the cake last night..not really successful, guess my baking pan is big for the receipe as my cake turn out rather thin..and yes it crack when i start to roll. still have not got the hand of it la. This cake got quite a eggy smell. when baked my cake texture is kind of "song" (in mandarin) Is this correct...hai! I am thinking of trying again, properly double the ingredients and see how...

Hi, do stick to the recommended pan size in all recipes...besides the thickness of the bake, the temperaure/time taken to bake has to be adjusted if you are using a different pan size. I suspect you may have over baked the sponge layer. Since you have used a larger pan, it will get baked faster since the layer is thinner.

Hi carcar, I think maybe you over bake the sponge layer so it became dry?? When folding in the flour you will need to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl to make sure that all the flour has been incorporate into the batter. I read your blog and you have done a beautiful swiss roll, maybe you want to try that recipe again and see whether you can find out what went wrong with this one?

Hi carcar, maybe you didn't preheat your oven to the right temperature? The sponge layer should brown easily as it is baked in a tray. I am sure you will come up with a great roll cake on your next attempt :D

I tried baking this swiss roll recipe today and follow exactly the same measurement as yours. Unfortunately, the cake cracks and rather hard. It resulted unable to roll and I discard the cake.. quite disappointing. Can U enlighten me why my cake crack and texture is hard. Hope u can share so i can improve further. thanks.

Hi Lovi, it could be due to the baking time and temperature. You could have over bake it as a result the cake was try and hard. Watch the cake closely before the baking time is up, and once the surface starts to turn light brown, be prepared to remove it from the oven. You may also like to take a look at my video clip on making a roll cake here (http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.com/2008/12/matcha-adzuki-again.html) Hope this helps :)

Hi HHB,After looking thru ur blog so many times, i finally have the time n courage to try out the Nutella Swiss Roll using ur recipe.. cos i always thought swiss roll is very difficult to make (i'm a beginner) :)I followed ur steps accordingly except that i substituted cake flour for normal plain flour. I'm so glad that it turned out to be quite a success. It rolled quite easily except that the surface of my swiss roll is not as smooth n perfect as yours.. And also i was wondering why after rolling it, when i cut it to slices, it seems quite difficult to cut them up neatly, the crumbs keep falling n i couldnt get a neat, clean cut. I thought might be cos my knife is not sharp enough but even after sharpening the knife, its still the same.. Have u encountered such problem before? Is it cos i didnt bake long enough? cos once i saw it starting to turn brown n the skewer comes out clean then i quickly remove it. Tink baking time was only about 10 mins or even slightly lesser...Btw, Thanks for sharing ur great recipe n experiences.. :)

Hi Hui, glad to know that you have picked up the courage to try making this :) I am not sure about the crumbs falling apart...maybe you can try using a serrated knife instead? It is good for slicing bread, if you are a local, you can get a serrated knife at Daiso for $2. Does your sponge cake taste dry? If yes, then maybe it is slightly over baked, you can try brushing the surface with some syrup (dissolve some sugar with water) to moisten it. Hope this helps.

Hi HHB,Thanks for ur reply.. But sad to say, i tried making it again yesterday for my sis but it failed terribly.. I used normal plain flour but i tried to add abit of cornstarch (with reference to joyofbaking) to make it cake flour.. I dunno if this is the reason of the failure, but I guess it is slightly over-baked n i start to see cracks the moment i remove it from the tray to cool.. When spreading nutella on the cake, i knew it was going to fail cos it was very easy to spread, no crumbs falling at all.. After that was more disaster, it cracked terribly when i was rolling but i still manage to roll it up.. The first roll was ok, moist n the skin did not stick when i was rolling, however on the 2nd attempt, it cracked n stick onto the paper. I tried to dust icing sugar to cover up the ugly skin but i think i made it worst..Btw, i see in some websites that we can substitute plain flour + cornstarch for cake flour, but some websites states that we can use 1cup of plain flour minus 2tbsp (30g) to substite for 1 cup of cake flour.. so i was wondering y is there a difference n which is the correct version?...next thing on my baking list is your milo doggie cookies.. :)

Hi Hui, sorry to hear about your failed attempt this time :( I can understand how you feel, especially you are making it for your sis.It could be due to the corn flour, maybe next time you just use plain flour, or get a pack of cake flour. I am sure you will have fun making the doggies cookies!

Hi HHB,I only used abt 1tsp of corn flour but it spoiled the whole thing.. Thought i saw somewhere that adding abit of corn flour to plain flour will substitute for cake flour.. dunno if its true.. tink i wont dare to try it anymore.. haha...I'll see if i'm free to try out the milo doggies tml! Feel like trying out those breads n loafs too! Thanks for ur great recipes.. :)

hi, i lo9ved your blog, looking at the food made me hungry everytime. Anyway i tried 3 times to make nutella swiss roll but failed everytime. They were usually not moist & soft enough to my liking and always crack when I rolled until i saw another recipe in a book. It state to put ovallete and since then my swiss rolls have always been perfect! Moist & soft, does not crack upon rolling. Use a dry towel to roll it up!

Hi Fina, yes ovallete will help since it is a cake stabliser or sponge cake emulsifier. Sponge cakes made with emulsifier will yield very soft texture, and the cake will stay fresh longer, it will produce cakes similar to those that you get from outside. However, I prefer not to use any addictive if possible in my homemade bakes even though they really do wonders ;)

i followed your recipe but when i tried to roll it, it broke and ended up looking like a 2.5 layer sponge cake. do you know of any tips i could follow to make a proper jelly roll? also, i thought it tasted great, but when i gave it to my family, they all commented on how it was a bit dry. would adding more butter help to make it moist? and also, the top layer of my cake didn't turn out light brown like yours, even though it was cooked for 10 minutes. the inside was like yours, but the top was the same color as the inside. should i coat the top in butter when it's almost done cooking or something like that? thanks so much! i really enjoy your recipes!sue

Hi Sue, your oven temperature may not be accurate? Did you use an oven theremometer to check that it is preheated to the right temperature before you put in the cake? Looks like your sponge layer did not brown. The brown crust is not from brushing with butter. Did you place the sponge layer in a plastic bag or cover it to keep it moist when you leave it to cool? If the sponge layer is too dry (either from over baking or left to cool uncovered) it will crack upon rolling. Also did you beat the eggs and sugar mixture till it becomes pale, thick and double/triple in volume, and leave a ribbon like trail when you lift up the whisk? This is important to get the sponge cake right. You can take a look at my vido clip on Making a Roll cake (side bar) to get an idea. Hope this helps.

hi happy homebaker,i have a digital oven so i set the temperature and it beeps when it's the right temperature. i covered it and it did stay moist. i beat the eggs for 7 minutes and it was pale and left a ribbon trail. im not sure what went wrong because everything seemed right. i think the cake was actually really good, except that it didn't brown and broke upon rolling.sue

Thank you for sharing your lovely swiss roll recipe, i have tried baking yesterday, it came out very nice at first but because i rolled it while it still hot so it turned damp and cracked when unrolled. I m using 9'X10' tray (its the largest that can fit my oven)do i have to adjust the baking time? The texture is a bit rough, is this due to the sifting process? FYI, i only sifted once. One last question, if i reduce the sugar quantity, will it affect the recipe?

Hi Carris, the rough texture could be due to the baking time, you could have over baked it. The other possibility is the folding of the flour, the batter could have been deflated. Reducing the sugar amount will cause the sponge layer to turn dry, so, do stick to the recipe. Hope this helps.

Hi! just wondering, when you fold in the sifted flour in 3 different additions, may i know how would you know when each addition is done? Is there a possibility of over folding the flour inside? if there is, may i know how to prvent it? Also, do i sift the flour once or twice?

Hi! the cake looks amazing! But i only have a 10" x 12" rectangular pan. May i know if i can use this size to bake it instead? Would it be very hard to roll up if i use this size? And also how should i change the timing if i use this?Thanks!(:

Hi Anonymous, I am sorry to hear about your unsuccessful attempt. I suspect it is due to the beating of the eggs and sugar mixture. You need to beat it till it triple in volume and the mixture becomes thick and pale, and will leave a ribbon like trail when you lift up the whisk. Did you manage to reach this stage? You can refer to my video clip here (http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.com/2008/12/matcha-adzuki-again.html)Hope it helps.

WeiLi, once the flour 'disappear' into the batter you should stop folding...usually it takes only a few quick folds to do that. You can refer to my video clip here (http://happyhomebaking.blogspot.com/2008/12/matcha-adzuki-again.html)

Hi Anonymous, your tray is slightly bigger, it means that the sponge layer will be thinner and you will need to adjust the baking time, it probably takes a shorter time to bake. Do not overbake. Hope this helps.

Hi Anonymous, first, make sure your oven is preheated to the correct temperature. Do Use an oven thermometer. Place the baking tray, preferably at the middle of the oven to ensure even baking. The sponge cake bakes rather fast. So do stand by at your oven, after 5 mins of baking. You will notice the surface starts to brown. Once the top becomes light golden (about 10-12mins into baking), the baking should be completed. You can test with a toothpick, it should come out clean, or, gently press the surface with your finger, the indent you left with your finger should spring back immediately. Over baking will give a dry, and hard sponge layer, the sides will probably be over browned and crusty as well.

Hi Anonymous, I am sorry I am not able to provide the amount in cups as it will not be accurate, since this is a sponge cake, the measurement has to be quite exact, otherwise the texture of the cake will be affected. However, you can take a look at this site (http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/cooking-conversions/cooking-conversions-calculator.aspx)for the ingredient conversion. But it may not be that accurate.

Hello, I searched for ever for a good recipe for a swiss roll, jelly roll or what ever you want to call it. I loved your pictures and the encouraging comments so I went with your recipe which I messed up the first time but immediately started over. The first batch, I forgot that I doubled the ingredients and had some doubled and some not and by the time I realized I could not fix it so I threw in the stuff I forgot and baked cause... well, I could not toss it. That batch came out thin but not terrible I filled and rolled and hey not too bad. The proper batch turned out very nice I did not have the brown "skin" on top. I am in the states so I had to convert everything and I am still not sure if there is a difference in ovens or what but it came out spongy. I sprinkled my paper with powdered sugar and corn starch and rolled. The first one stuck to the new paper so I figured I had to do this to fix that. My roll is not as beautiful as yours and I did have a bit of a crack in mine but I will be covering mine with ganache and fondant to make a graduation scroll so it is fine. I am not sure why it cracked but I am still happy with the result and the flavor is great - so thank you very much gina TheSweetestThingCakes.blogspot.com

I think the roll cracked a little because of the lack of moisture...you may have over baked the sponge layer a little; also when left to cool off, you need to retain the moisture by covering the sponge layer to prevent it from getting dry.

Thanks so much for such detailed information on how to make a swiss roll. Really appreciate your efforts! :)

I have tried your recipe and everything turned out perfect except for the 'skin' on top of the cake. After cooling, when I tried to roll it with a parchment paper, the skin was sticky and stuck onto the paper, leaving me a skinless roll! Unlike yours with the perfect golden-brown skin. What do you reckon cause the skin to be sticky after the cake cooled? Is it because my temperature was too high or low? The cake texture was perfect - spongy and not dry at all, and I had no problems rolling it. Thanks for your input!

Hi GFAD, it is not due to the oven temperature. I suspect it is due to the type of baking paper you used. Did you use greaseproof paper instead of baking/parchment paper? When I first started baking, I didn't know that greaseproof paper and parchment paper are different things. If I were to use greaseproof paper (cheaper and comes in bigger sheets) to line my baking tray, my cookies will get stuck to it. I believe non-stick baking or parchment paper (I use the brand Glad) has a layer of wax which will prevent the skin of the sponge layer from sticking onto it. Hope to hear from you whether my assumption is right.

hello. first off, i'm soo in love with your blog and I really appreciate it! I'm new at baking and I'm on a mission to try making a swiss roll. Hence it brings me to my next question.. althought it might sound stupid but.. what kind of sugar do you use for this cake?

Hey HHB, Thanks for your input. I use baking parchment (which never sticks when I bake cookies and cakes) and when I peel off the bottom,the cake doesn't stick. It's only when I turn the cooled cake over, skin side down, to spread the filling and start rolling, the skin starts to stick on the parchment paper. Very frustrating when that happens bacause there is a lovely golden brown crust/skin before I start rolling it! Really don't know how to get such a lovely skin like yours! :D

This Swiss roll is so perfect! I am sure it tastes as good as it looks. I tried this recipe two times but without success :(( The egg mixture started to deflate when the melted butter (cooled to room temperature) is folded in. Do you know why? Thanks. Amy

Hi Amy, if you have problem folding in (note: it is not stirring) the melted butter, what you can do is, take a portion (about 1/3) of the batter, place it in another mixing bowl and fold in the melted butter. Then, transfer the mixture back to the batter, and fold in. This way, the batter will not deflate too much. Hope this helps :)

Yup, the eggs and sugar batter turned pale and tripled in volume. Finished batter was thick, but not very airy. It was airy before I fold in the flour, after that, it was not that already. Hmm, maybe I may have over baked the sponge, as I see water seeping out at the last few minutes.. :(

Hi, I usually use this conversation: 1 cup of sugar is 200g , 1 cup of cake flour is 130g. The best is to use a weighing scale. Also, for this recipe, please use caster sugar as it is easier to dissolve when beating with the eggs, hope this helps.

hi happy home baker,do you have any suggestion other than parchment paper to be replaced?because here, in egypt, i'm hardly to find out this paper in supermarket because i couldn't find bakery supplies outlet..i have try many methods like,dust with icing sugar on the paper before we turn the top surface upside down..but once i'm going to roll,,the skin is peeling off..thanks

Brilliant. Easy to make as i'm 11 years old and mine came out perfect. Sometimes it helps to roll it using the first method, which is rolling it and wait for it to cool, then put filling in it. Melting nutella also helps too.

Hi Dear,I made this today and it was a flop. First, though the volume double in step 2, it didn't form a ribbon like. Then, when I added the melted butter, it deflated immediately n lots of bubbles were in the batter like those science experiement. Lastly, the bake batter did not brown at all even after 20mins. The so called cake was hard and oily at the base. .. :(

ive bake this cake twice, turn out perfectly great!! im bake it again today with different filling. thanks for the recipe!! this cake steps may sounds complicated if you read all how to BBH roll and cooling technic. is very easy, no deflated or what so ever just remove the cake like other cake to cool it on the rack and roll up. is all good to me. This such a small cake so the cooling time is very fast perhaps in 30mins all done.

Hi Patricia, I am no professional baker and I have not attended any baking class or workshop, as such I can only comment on what I have learned from books or websites or thru my baking experience. There could be two possible reasons...the sponge cake layer could be underbaked, causing the skin to stick to the paper; the sponge layer was too moist as it was left to cool for too long (I noticed this when I baked cheesecake: the skin will stick to my fingers if I were to touch the surface after the cake has been left over night. but when it was still warm and just cooled off, it doesnt stick). Both these points may not be the actual cause though. I have also googled and found this site: (http://www.ellenskitchen.com/recipebox/swissrol.html) you may want to follow some of the tips stated there. I am sorry I am of not much help, hope you understand.

Hi, my baking pan is 1 inch in height. You may use your cookie sheet but the sponge layer will be thinner and you may have left over batter, which you may bake them in paper muffin cups. hope this helps.